The 7th Guest Review
PROS
- A true classic for horror and puzzle fans.
- Challenging variety of puzzles; built-in hint system to help newcomers.
- Updated controls and seamless visual transitions.
- Amazing soundtrack by George 'The Fat Man' Sanger.
CONS
- Painful acting; sadly one of the few methods of understanding the narrative.
- Scattered puzzle elements; hunting required for the 'next step'.
VERDICT
The 7th Guest is almost exclusively destined for iOS devices of fans of the original release and while the challenge is certainly worthy of modern audiences, the way in which the narrative is presented is not.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
Oh yes indeed, we're not only plumbing the depths of App Store, but of gaming history itself by tackling the classic that is The 7th Guest by Trilobyte Games. Its release for iOS devices is a mixed blessing and players can expect some enhancements in the form of smoother, speedier transitions and refinements to the game's controls, but there's no denying that The 7th Guest has aged badly and what was a relatively awkward pairing of horror and puzzle elements in the 90s now feels slightly embarrassing to play.
One of the main attractions of the title was its macabre and disturbing horror theme revolving around the main antagonist 'Stauf' and his haunted creations. Players start out inside Stauf's mansion - his final evil creation - and you'll have to travel from room to room, witnessing the ghosts of the past while solving obtuse puzzles. Should you get stuck on a particular puzzle you can consult a book in the library up to three times for clues, with the third time solving it outright so players can progress at their own speed.
It's hard to appreciate some of the marvelous original features of The 7th Guest, especially because things like streaming video and audio from a CD isn't simply a novelty anymore. Many of the pre-rendered 3D visuals look outdated, but despite this the mansion itself is detailed cleverly, putting some modern App Store releases to shame.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment is how poorly the gameplay and story have held up over time. Puzzles act as non-sequential obstacles that unlock story elements to help players to piece together the events of the night, but the video overlays are extremely hammy and painful to watch, while the puzzles themselves are scattered and must be sought out like some sort of treasure hunt.
Replaying The 7th Guest isn't without some redeeming value as it acts as a sort of fun time-machine to a simpler age where ideas were often outlandish despite the physical limitations imposed by the technology of the time. Without this sort of nostalgia to back up your time playing The 7th Guest, it's a hard game to recommend, but if you enjoyed the game back in the day and you don't mind the occasional brain-tickler it's a decent game to pick up for such a low cost.
Screenshots
$4.99
